But Always


But Always is a 2014 Chinese-Hong Kong romantic drama film directed by Snow Zou.

Plot

While most of “But Always” takes place in New York City, the Chinese drama's blend of sentimentality and romantic fatalism is very Asian. American viewers who aren’t Sino-cinema buffs might balk, but Snow Zou's directorial debut does have a few noteworthy attributes: attractive stars, sun-dappled cinematography and an audacious payoff.
Beijing tykes Anran and Yongyuan meet in 1982, when she transfers to his school. She's wealthier than her ragged classmates, who regard her with suspicion. The school bully assigns Yongyuan to follow Anran, a role he happily accepts for the next 20 years. One sign of his devotion is that he can always recognize her footsteps.
The kids bond, in part because both lost their mothers in the same earthquake. But then Yongyuan's guardian dies and his uncle takes him away. He's not allowed to say goodbye to Anran, a pattern that recurs as one or the other repeatedly vanishes.
A decade later, Yongyuan returns to Beijing and encounters Anran, now a pre-med student. She's grown up to be played by Chinese beauty Gao Yuanyuan. He's now portrayed by Hong Kong action star Nicholas Tse, who's just as pretty as she is.
The couple's reunion is idyllic, then awkward, then idyllic again. But Yongyuan gets involved in some shady business to raise money for Anran's post-graduate education. So when she's ready to leave for Columbia University, he's disappeared again.
In Manhattan, Anran acquires a new boyfriend, a petulant painter called Michael. She also works two part-time jobs in addition to her studies.
Yongyuan, who has gotten rich just so he can search for Anran, finds her through Michael's paintings of her. This leads to another sweet, luminously photographed reunion. But the couple will be torn apart twice more, and the final rupture will make or break the movie for many viewers. It's shamelessly contrived, but refreshingly outrageous.

Cast

By 28 September, it had earned ¥225.77 million at the Chinese box office.